


Temporary Replacement

by callmearenegade



Series: Above The Clouds Of Pompeii [4]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Baby Legolas Greenleaf, Daddy Thranduil, Family Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-13
Packaged: 2018-07-26 14:34:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7577899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callmearenegade/pseuds/callmearenegade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Legolas crawls to our favorite March warden and he loses his composure ( because cute babies make haldir’s mind turn to goo!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Temporary Replacement

The cold was nipping at all those who dared to face it. The weather held a chill but it did little to take away the beauty of Mirkwood. The last thin layer of frost had melted from the grass, the green below it starting to return to the view of elven eyes. The evergreens held their pine needles, the other trees revealing small green leaves. The wind blowing through the trees left a soft whispering sound in the air, though the sound could not be heard over the festival.

Mirkwood held the festival well, the beautiful landscape holding both function and beauty. The long table that held the nobility over looked the other small tables, the performance platform that currently held a violinist playing a cheerful tune, and the beautiful newly green landscape.

The long table held 100 elves. The table covered in a large white cloth, the center pieces a mixture of pine cones and leaves - of both green and autumn fallen colors- and the elegantly carved wooden chairs a bright oak color that warmed the chilly atmosphere. No elves seemed to be affected by the cold, the atmosphere not ruined by the breeze. Many elves could be seen speaking loudly, many dancing wildly, most elves breaking from the typical controlled and reserved behaviour in order to celebrate. Alcohol of all types was flowing and fueling much of the behaviour.

Yet, at the table there sat the young blonde March Warden, Haldir, of Lothlórien. The young warden - one of the youngest to ever hold the title at the ripe age of 18- sat tall with the amount of composure expected of one holding such a title, perhaps he held even more. He had held the job for a few years now and none could ever recall seeing the regal warden break composure. Even in the moment of celebration, Haldir held the discipline that even some of the oldest elves coveted. It was why he was given the job in the first place.

Haldir was traveling for his work. He left his home 6 months ago to come to Rivendell to help train guards and soldiers for Lord Elrond. His ability to command respect and attention, to teach in a way all could understand, and his ability to speak many dialects - with skill that few soldiers with the skills possessed by this elf could- made him the perfect choice for training far and near from Lothlórien. After he trained those in Rivendell, he had been invited - and persuaded- to come to Mirkwood for the celebration. He traveled to the realm with Lord Elrond and his company- though he was rarely present at any celebrations not in his home- and had arrived in Mirkwood 2 mornings ago. Though Haldir much enjoyed his stay, he was not in the celebrating mood. He wanted the celebration to end so he could take his leave back home and take back up his March Warden position. He had been far from home for too long.

So the elf sat tall in his chair, shoulders perfectly square, and head held respectively high. He wasn’t cold or distant. he made sure to converse kindly with those who conversed with him, including but not limited to both the twins,Lord Elrond, and any of the elves questioning him about his job. He answered the questions with respect but steered away from those questions - good-hearted and generally kind as they were- about his family. Few had heard of his brothers and questioned about them, he would nod and pass over the question - even as the king of Mirkwood asked. The king, surprisingly to Haldir, was the most respective of his choice to not speak of them. The kings response to Haldir’s ” I’d prefer not to speak of them, my king.” was a gentle nod of understanding and a gentle ” I wish for their greatness as I do yours.” before turning back to the small child stealing from his plate.

Long since food had been served, Haldir remained seated, the conversation has left him- expect for Lord Elrond who, with the fatherly spirit he held, occasionally met his eyes from the other side of the table and looked at him with a look that asked if he was alright, to which he would nod graciously- and he did not wish to dance or pull any conversations toward him. He silently listened to the band playing more upbeat music than they had all evening. Haldir closed his eyes and listened.

His keen ears could hear coo’s and aww’s from ladies at the table. His blue eyes opened to look at the table. They widened when he saw a small blonde haired baby- only barely into his crawling stage- crawling up the table. He could feel his heart warm slightly as he fought to hold back the grin that threatened to spill onto his lips. The baby had bright blue eyes, short blonde hair that was being blown wildly by the wind, and wore small dark blue robes. The babies face had remnants of the previous meal still on it. The imagine all reminded Haldir of his family. He knew who the baby belonged to as he had saw him in the arms of the king when he arrived. The young price smiling widely at those he passed.

The young prince stopped at the seat of the dark haired lord of Rivendell. Legolas smiled at the lord as he greeted him with a high pitched “hello” and a pinch to his slightly blushed cheek. The prince giggled loudly and blew a raspberry to the lord before grabbing his hand. The Lord smiled bright at the small child, missing the time when his were that young. The young blonde held onto the brunet’s hand for a moment, before dropping it and blowing bubbles at the him and moving to crawl away. Elrond could be heard chuckling as the baby crawled away.

Legolas passed Lindir, letting out a shriek of recognition before crawling to him. The elf smiled at him, the child blowing a raspberry at him. Lindir responded with a brief chuckle and stroke to the child’s head, smoothing the soft blonde hair down, before the child grabbed him hand before leaving.

Haldir watched the child crawl, his brotherly instincts fearing for the child. The child continued to crawl, stopping every once in a while to pick at the tablecloth or communicate- as babies do- to some of the elves. The warden soon calmed and looked about at the elves enjoying themselves, his mind wandering.

Haldir’s mind arrived to him again with the sound of a baby complaint - a sound he knew much too well. He turned to face the sound, finding the small prince sitting in front of him on the table. Haldir couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face, eyes lighting up, lips smiling, cheeks rising. He tilted his head to the left as he looked at the prince; face still holding some of the pastries from dessert, eyes bright and happy, hair still smoothed down from Lindir’s kind hand.

“ What are you doing, Little prince?” The warden cooed at the baby, tone high pitched. The baby squealed and flailed his arms in response.

Haldir’s smile widened, mouth opening, a small laugh being heard from it. Haldir put his hands out, open to catch the child, and the baby fell forward into the waiting hands. The warden made a raspberry noise at the child, who let out a high pitch laugh. Haldir tossed the small child into the air, catching him in strong hands when he came back down, the prince letting out a squeal of happiness.

The noises of the prince drew much attention to the pair, many elf eyes staring - many more in shock- at seeing the great, composed, regal, march warden losing the composure and emitting any emotion. The king smiled at the scene, Lord Elrond nodded, Lindir looked slightly surprised but couldn’t help but smile at the cuteness. Haldir didn’t notice the eyes on him. His whole focus on the little blonde in his hands.

Haldir sat the child in his lap, listening to a conversation around him idly while wiping the leftover pastry from the child’s face. The moment reminded him of the many family dinners he had at home with his brothers- the ones with and without his parents- and their inability to eat without wearing the food. He had spent much time in his earlier years wiping food from small baby faces. The small blue eyes of the prince met the wardens before the face turned to face him. The warden couldn’t resist kissing the baby’s cheeks. He still had the baby fat on his face, making his cheeks perfectly puff and round and kissable. When he left, Rumil was just loosing his - though he held onto it for much longer than he probably should have being several years older than the prince. He missed his brothers so very much, and this little prince only reminded him of them. He took the moments he had with the prince to push back the sadness and yearn to be with his family. He would be on his way home as early as possible the next day, and he would be home as soon as his he could. He would be with his family soon enough. Haldir continued to hold the child close to his chest until the night had welcomed them and the king requested his baby back. Haldir was unwillingly to part with the child, but brought the child to his father. He left a last kiss on the prince’s forehead before turning and heading to his house for the evening. His dreams full of his little brothers.

***

The warden arrived home only a few days later. He pushed the door to the family home open to have his legs attacked by a small blonde elf, front teeth missing. He bent down to hug the boy.

“ I’ve missed you, you little brat!” The warden cooed. hugging the smaller elf tighter.

“ Let go of me, Haldir!” The young elf whined, pushing against the strong chest of the warden. Haldir let go of his brother, placing a small kiss on his forehead before the elf pulled away and ran off, rubbing his forehead fervently.

“ Orophin! Something is wrong with Haldir! He is affectionate! He kissed me!” The brother complained as he ran into the kitchen. In the kitchen stood 14 year old Orophin, silent as ever, munching on a slice of lembas bread.

Haldir saw the brother - noticing that he had grown some and now stood almost above haldir’s shoulder- and walked to him. He wrapped the elf in a hug, which he halfheartedly returned before eating more food.

The warden stood back for a moment, fighting his emotions.

“ I missed you two. I saw this little elfling who looked so much like you used to, and it made me realize how much I missed you.” Haldir shared.

“ You won’t have to miss us in a few years, we will be old enough to be wardens and go to work with you.” Rumil stated, apple in hand. Haldir nodded in agreement. He couldn’t wait.


End file.
